How black your green eyes
by Astrael Slytherin
Summary: The third shinobi war doesn't end.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Blood.

Screams.

The roar of jutsu.

The clashing of steel on steel.

Sometimes she thinks it is all she has ever known. Then she remembers her teammates. Short, curly, black hair and always a laugh in ebony eyes and on his lips. Long, silky, black hair, expression stony but warmth in tired black eyes.

With the caress of the wind she tilts her head back, closes her eyes and breathes. The metallic scent of blood and the smell of burning corpses linger in the air.

When she opens her eyes again she catches sight of her partner. He signals her that new orders have come for them, she hopes that with the war ending they will be allowed to return home.

Return to Konoha.


	2. Chapter 1

1

Of course not.

It would have been too easy she supposes, to be ordered straight home from the front when team sigma's particular expertise could help clean up the messes left behind.

Her partner is looking at her fondly, half-amused half-exasperated, while she fumes silently.

It doesn't last of course. They received their orders so they are going to be off soon. An outpost near Iwa this time, the missive only ordering them to clean up loose ends.

When she exchanges glances with her partner they both know this will only be the beginning. Someone had to clean up after the war and they have obviously been chosen to be part of that group.

Sakura sighs and rolls her shoulders. The note goes up in flames between her fingers and she shoots her partner a wry smile. A twitch of his lips is all she gets in return and then they are off.


	3. Chapter 2 Interlude

2 Interlude

She laughs. Shisui's antics always manage to make them smile. Even in the middle of the goddamn war he always has a joke to tell, a quick witted response or battle banter with friend and enemy alike.

It is one of the rare times there is a lull in the fighting. One of the chunin flickers in, a grin on his face as he waves the updated bingo books.

In the resulting rush Shisui manages to grab one for us and we seclude us in a quiet corner.

Itachi's bounty has gone up with his rank and next to his name a bold 'S' is printed. Shisui pouts when he sees that he hasn't earned that 'flee on sight' order yet although he is also classed as an S-ranked threat. She can't suppress her own grin at the 'A' beside her name although she is only eight soon to be nine.

Itachi ruffles her hair while Shisui pulls her into a one-sided hug.

It is one of the last memories where all three of them are alive.

A month later Shisui is gone and her left eye is as black as Itachi's.


	4. Chapter 3

3

Sometimes Sakura wonders.

When the new bingo book read S-rank it wasn't under ‚Haruno Sakura of Konoha'. No, instead where her name used to be ‚The Reaper/ Shinigami no Sakura' can be read. Further down where formerly her titles were marked now reads ‚Name: Haruno Sakura' and ‚Affiliation: Konohagakure'.

While her entry mentions her proficiency in genjutsu and with her kusarigama, her iryojutsu is only a side note.

She wonders how many people know she has a mastery over iryojutsu that is seldom achieved. How many people know that her chakra control is so good that it is ridiculous. After all, being good at medical ninjutsu is what landed her with the Uchihas at first, but her being too valuable out in the field is what keeps her out of the medic tents.

She quirks the corner of her lips up at the thought of what her partner would do if the Hokage dared to confine her to the medic tents.

There was a reason Orochimaru and her were feared as a team even more than individually.

When the war reached the tenth year the sannin had to split up to cover more ground. Tsunade-sama had found an apprentice a few years ago and Jiraiya was maintaining his spy network when he wasn't actively needed in combat.

There was little on those two of the three sannin and word had it Tsunade had taken leave of the Leaf in the wake of the end of the war.


	5. Chapter 4 Interlude

4 Interlude

When she was first conscripted for the war she was five years old.

Her academy teacher had had them doing chakra exercises. When she took note of her talent with chakra she was given to the medic nin at the Konoha hospital, three months later she is sent to the frontlines.

During her three months at ‚Konoha General' she picks up Genjutsu and learns the bare bones of how to wield a Kusarigama.

During the next two years she excels and while her reserves keep growing she manages to learn elemental and supplemental ninjutsu. While she acts as a field medic in her first year, in her second she gets assigned as a mid to close range fighter.

It is this that gets her assigned to Itachi and Shisui. They need a medic, but whoever is assigned to them has to have the ability to keep up with them. This is also the reason their unit only had three people permanently assigned to them. They can't put too many high profile shinobi in the same place.


	6. Chapter 5 Interlude

5 Interlude

Both her eyes are obsidian black as she hands the body scroll to the courier squad. They will be headed right for Konoha. She imagines the Uchiha will want to give Itachi the burial he deserves.

When she turns away, she briefly thinks about the future. She knew Itachi and Shisui would not make it out of the war alive, they knew it too. Now that both of them are dead what would happen to her? Reassignment she supposes, Sakura only hopes her teammates are going to be bearable. They have a high bar to overcome.

It is raining. They are deep in the territory of Mizu right now and everywhere is swamp. But the rain makes it easy to hide her tears. So she keeps standing in the rain until her tears have run dry. Then she turns and slips back into their temporary command room.


	7. Chapter 6

6

It has been a year since the war was officially declared over.

They have been reassigned to border patrol. It will be the last mission before they can finally go home.

They have been given supplementary orders to search through the ruins of Uzushio.

Orochimaru is giddy with excitement. They are both bone-tired but the promise of being able to maybe discover some of Uzushio's secrets, or even just see the once magnificent city, is a good distraction from their demons.

Nearly as giddy with excitement as Orochimaru she beckons her partner and turns east.

They take off in the direction of the rising sun.


End file.
